HOA's are what they are, a means to enforce a standard of sorts, there only as good as their written. It's a legally binding means of coercion. There primarily an invention of white people, as a means of insulating themselves from anyone and everyone different. ie. To keep the savages at bay. To protect "their investments", and not let the brown man live next door, Keeping the derelicts from bringing down their property values, whatever. Bankers, develolpers largely drew up many of these kinds of schemes. It's an exclusionist policy, written into a legally binding document. I belong to one also, a so called "gated community". Mostly an association of drunks, red-necks and meth-heads, for the most part. I don't fit into those categories, so I'm an outsider. I imagine the ones in the city, in exclusive area's are more heavily rule laden, and progressive to some degree, no thanks. I have little use for their bullshit either.
Institutions of racism. At the root it all, it's all about wealth & race, and joining the two at the expense of others. When they no longer can enforce it based upon race, it will simply be about excluding the poor, regardless of what they look, or act like. Then build a gate to keep all the undesirables out.